Look it in the eyes and you may recognize yourself. The chimpanzee is, along with the bonobo, our closest living relative: we share about ninety-eight percent of our DNA with it. And it shows. It makes tools: it uses twigs to fish for termites, stones to crack nuts and chewed leaves as a sponge to drink. Each community has its own customs, which the young learn by watching their elders. Scientists call it culture. Chimpanzees laugh when they play, hug each other for comfort and form alliances to gain power within the group. And every night they build a new nest high in the trees to sleep in. Today they are endangered by the loss of the rainforests and by hunting. Getting to know them better also means getting to know ourselves better.